The Maldives resorts and reasons we’re recommending for the upcoming season. Not just the classic favourites, rather the standouts that are perfect for different winter escapes.
We know you’ve been there. You know it. You probably have a good idea about where to stay on your next winter trip.
These are the resorts that are impressing us now, the resorts for a relaxing, tropical holiday.
Soneva Secret
Opening 10th February 2024 and wow are we excited about this! Soneva Jani and Soneva Fushi are fantastic resorts. Soneva Secret could be a whole higher level entirely.
The resort comprises just 14 villas, on the beach and over the water, at an island in the Haa Dhaalu Atoll. It’s remote, 320 kilometres north from Male, real Robinson Crusoe barefoot vibes.
We love Soneva Secret’s approach to hospitality and we expect other resorts to follow some of their ideas.
Dining? Rather than many restaurants, every villa has its dedicated chef.
Spa? Villas have spa treatment rooms and a gym, rather than a main wellness area in the resort.
Want to sleep beneath the stars? Easy. The villa bedrooms have retractable roofs.
Sustainability? Of course, this is Soneva.
Want complete and total privacy? Try the Castaway Villa, the first ever floating villa in the Maldives. It’s not connected to land and is only accessible by sea. Plus it has an epic water slide Soneva is known for.
The resort hasn’t opened and we’ve not personally been there. As with all new openings, we recommend cautious expectations when it comes to service and operations. It takes time for new hotels to become perfect in these aspects.
At the same time, Soneva is a well established brand with a trusted high-quality standard at all their resorts. So we expect only the best.
But if you want to be first, we’ll tell you a lot more about what’s on offer. Or watch out for a trip report!
Vakkaru Maldives
Vakkaru is such a good all rounder, for families and couples. It has every base covered for a Maldives holiday.
A superb spa. Beautiful white-sand beaches. Excellent snorkelling and diving in a UNESCO biosphere reserve (we especially love the house reef).
We don’t rank Vakkaru as one of the best five Maldives resorts. We wouldn’t expect it to be in the top five either. The biggest advantage of Vakkaru Maldives is the exceptional value for money.
There are dozens of resorts competing at this price point and most of them are simply not worth your time. Vakkaru does everything very well. And it is truly a stunning island and lagoon, the quintessence of a Maldivian dream.
The spaciousness of the villas and residences is another key factor. There’s a wide choice and many that are ideal for families. Service is top-notch too, something we experienced on a recent visit.
Nautilus
Intimate and boutique is the style at The Nautilus Maldives, one of the smallest five-star resorts in the Maldives. Stepan Borovec said this after his visit in October 2022.
Time really does stand still here, the day free of schedules, routines, the relentless click of the clock. At Nautilus you really do forget about time and that is a big luxury in itself.
Overall Nautilus delivers a very high level of luxury, yet it also has a friendly, family-like feel.
For example, guests and staff are invited to come together and enjoy cocktails by the pool at sunset, an activity they call Nautilus Rising.
The 27 villas have the quality, spaciousness and amenities expected in a bigger, obviously opulent resort. Yet the service is very personalised, with every staff member knowing you by name and remembering your preferences.
Although the resort’s style can suggest it’s a couple’s hangout, we think Nautilus is also very good for families looking for an intimate, low-key holiday. Dinner in the overwater Zeytoun restaurant is a must and there’s a great house reef around the island for snorkelling.
Patina Maldives
We have a bit of a love affair with Patina Maldives right now. Travel Designer Matous Grund visited in May and we devoted two pages to the resort in our recent edition of Explorer magazine.
So we won’t go into detail here. Instead, we’ll highlight some of the remarkable residents and events that could be your reason to try Patina Maldives.
Cosmopolitan Ocean is Patina’s annual festival, a cross-cultural celebration of art, music, fashion and healing. 26th – 29th October.
Alexander Zverev will be Patina’s resident tennis pro from 7th – 15th November (he’s the reigning Olympic champion and former world number 2).
Throughout winter they have a changing roster of resident artists, healers, popup bars and artisans leading workshops on making items with sustainable materials.
Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi
Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi is one of the most booked and known resorts among our clients. So why are we featuring it here instead of new inspiration?
Waldorf Astoria remains our top recommendation close to Male, located just a 30-minute transfer on their very sleek and chic yacht.
Ease and convenience make it a great option for a shorter Maldives holiday. For instance, perhaps you want to combine a few days on an island with a few days in Dubai, for instance?
At the same time, this is a large island with enough experiences for a two-week holiday, especially the gastronomy. The resort has 11 dining venues, the most in the Maldives, and they’re all different from each other.
Few resorts globally can match Waldorf Astoria Maldives for the quality and diversity of the dining. Do you know about their new overwater Zuma restaurant?
Milaidhoo
If you want complete calm and some time shutting off from everything else in the world, Milaidhoo is one of our recommendations.
Strictly no motorised watersports, no drones, no children under nine. Optionally no shoes or shirts. Unmistakably Maldivian in style and character.
This is a very informal resort, kind of a no-thrills adults-only, back-to-basics reset that we all need once in a while.
Milaidhoo and Nautilus are resorts by the same Maldivian pioneer, the late Dr Ibrahim Umar Maniku, a hotelier who brought tourism to the Maldives.
They’re located 15 minutes from each other, in the same UNESCO biosphere reserve. Combining these two is a very nice idea for your winter holiday.
JOALI Resorts
Overall, JOALI resorts are currently among the very best in the Maldives.
Outstanding villas with private pools, top-level service, pioneering wellness, and highly individualised holidays.
JOALI BEING launched as the first wellbeing island resort in the Maldives. On our most recent visit we found it’s not exclusively for a dedicated wellness holiday. It’s for any adult or couple who wants a relaxing holiday where they can focus on themselves.
Despite its grown-up and sophisticated atmosphere, JOALI Maldives is a top recommendation for families. Overall, the quality of the villas and level of privacy is at an unrivalled level for private island resorts.
Personal Recommendations for Your Winter Holiday
In this article we wanted to cover a range of holiday styles and present a variety of resorts.
The sheer abundance of high-quality resorts is a key reason the Maldives remains so popular as a destination. You can return here a dozen times and always be at the best resort.
So what is the best resort? It’s always dependent on what you want out of this specific holiday.
Which is why personal recommendations are always best.
